List of Formats
The folowing table contains references to file formats that are classified as sustainable, supported, and unsustainable by the mdwRepository. This list will be updated as needed. A precise specification of sustainable formats depends on the nature, purpose, and goals of the collection, as well as the characteristics of the original, such as the format and condition of the source material in the case of analog originals. Details can be found under "Types of Master Objects in the mdwRepository".
| File Type | Sustainable | Supported | Not Sustainable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word Processing |
PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3 (no atttachments), PDF/UA OpenDocument Text |
PDF/A-3 (with attachments)*, PDF/X Microsoft Word, Microsoft Open XML Rich Text Format Open Office XML |
PDF/A-3 (with attachments)* and other PDF variants CorelWordPerfect Lotus WordPro Microsoft Word |
| Plain Text |
Unicode text Comma-separated file Tab-delimited file |
Non-Unicode Text | Non-Unicode Text |
| Structural markup |
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) with related files (css, js, es) SGML w/DTD (document type definition) XML w/DTD or XSD (xml schema definition) Markdown |
Open Office XML |
SGML w/o DTD XML w/o DTD or XSD |
| Spreadsheets |
OpenDocument Spreadsheet Comma-separated file Tab-delimited file |
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Excel Open XML OpenOffice XML PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3 (no atttachments), PDF/UA |
|
| Musical Scores |
MusicXML Music Encoding Initiative (MEI) |
PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, PDF/A-3 (no atttachments), PDF/UA, PDF/X | Sibelius |
| Statistical Data |
SPSS STATA (.dat/.DO) R |
Proprietary formats of statistical packages SAS |
|
| Databases |
Software Independent Archiving of Relational Databases (siard) Delimited Flat File w/DDL Structured Query Language |
Microsoft Access JavaScript Object Notation FileMaker PostgreSQL MySQL MariahDB |
Microsoft Access dBase Databases FileMaker |
| Audio |
Broadcast Wave Format, Waveform Audio File Format Free Lossless Audio Codec |
AIFF (uncompressed) Standard MIDI Windows Media Audio MP3 Advanced Audio Coding/MP4 |
Audio CD, DVD-Audio, RealAudio, Shorten, RIFF-RMID, Extended MIDI, Module Music Formats |
| Video | Archival format not currently established in the mdwRepository. | AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Quicktime | Windows Media Video |
| Raster Images |
TIFF 6.0 JPG 2000 DICOM |
JPEG PNG PDF/A GIF TIFF other versions |
RAW Adobe Photoshop Kodak PhotoCD Encapsulated PostScript other PDF variants |
| Vector Images | SVG | EPS |
CDR Adobe Illustrator |
| 3D |
- Using PDF/A-3 does not guarantee that the included attachments will remain usable in the future – it only ensures their presence attached to the document.